Elisa Longo Borghini will be part of the roster that Trek-Segafredo is taking for its first race ever: the Santos Women's Tour Down Under.

The Italian is excited about her first race with the newly created team. "I feel fine, I am probably not in top shape yet but I will be there," she commented at a press conference in Australia.

"I've been training very well at home, but obviously the conditions in Northern Italy are very different from what we find here. It's my first time in Australia and the change of temperature is right now the biggest issue. But as long as I make sure to stay hydrated, I am sure I will be okay."

Longo Borghini thinks that the team can do a good job in its opening race. "We brought a great team to the start of this race," she explained. "We are three climbers, Tayler (Wiles), Ruth (Winder) and myself and we will have three strong sprinters at the start as well, with Lauretta (Hanson), Lotta (Lepistö) and Letizia (Paternoster).

"Together we can make this a great race. Taking a victory would be awesome, and I strongly believe that's possible. For my GC ambitions, we will wait for stage 2 (the stage to Mengler Hill) to decide. I will see how I feel, where I stand in the GC and I will, of course, discuss this with my team too."